Saturday, March 18, 2006
I've moved. Ask me for the website and ask me for the password to read password-protected entries too.+ + +
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Long-overdue photos! I only just found time to upload the hundreds of photos taken.
Tony Roma's
Beer?
No, we very class, need three cocktails to start off the evening. Not beer!
That's the awesome onion loaf on the left and some wedges on the right
My main course
Finishing off the food. Somebody teach me how to get rid of eyebags!
The aftermath of the slaughter
This is what I call a real burger
Uhh..no, I didn't take photos of that pretty waitress. You sickos. Okay, I did, but that's none of your business! Mm..stopping here for now. It'll be just crazy if I uploaded photos taken from Geylang, Boat Quay, Old Airport Road and everywhere.
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Thursday, March 02, 2006
Yesterday, sitting in front of the computer working out the new month's schedule, drawing lines, rubbing out lines drawn, responding to emails that pinged onto the screen every five minutes. And 2.10pm, the first sms came in. And the others followed.AAAA A1 DD
AAAA A2
AAAA A2 DD
AAAB A2 DM
AAAB B3 M
BCC B3
AAAA A1 DD
AABB A1
OOE C5
AAAA B3 MM
It makes me think of what could have been. Then I dismiss the thought. The 'A's are just a piece of paper. They are not a measure of self-worth, let alone a measure of a man. But somehow the words ring hollow. I've always been around people who over-achieved. The typical high-flyers who scored As whether or not they made concious efforts, the national team players, the debating stars. Maybe, just maybe, it rubbed off on me and I worked hard enough for a stint in the tennis national squad, enough for a few awards in English and Econs. Maybe, I forgot how to be average. Maybe I lost a little bit of my soul. It's easy to look around among my circle of friends and forget about those who don't do as well and are every bit as worthy of respect as that girl next door who brought home a perfect scoresheet. Sometimes I'm glad that I grew up well-balanced. That I grew up without a urge to club, to have pre-marital sex, with what I hope are correct values. I have stumbled so many times that I've grown immune to the fear of failure. I have tasted the bitterness of being broke, the humiliation of being bullied, the euphoria of being accepted and the loneliness of losing friends. If I had to make a movie of my life, it would be an abstract one with the lead being that ever present shadow of resilience.
2005 was a bad year but I learned so much about myself. From the early months as I struggled to come to terms with the regimentation of the army to the later months as I got into trouble and only escaped with the good blessings of the heavens. I've become so sure of my direction in life and everyday seems purposeful now. At night, I pore through my subsidised part-time NTU Business Finance course notes or my driving practicals revision book, by day, I puzzle out Excel files. And when I complete that accursed two years of my life, it'll be a short holiday before returning for some work experience at a bank. And then finally, university life begins at NUS.
If despair marked my entrance into national service, so will hope mark my exit. I will have left a team more organised and ready to tackle the challenges that we face everyday. I hope to stamp my mark and leave a more confident man, for ever is that plague of insecurity that hangs around me like a noose.
I turn my thoughts back to the A lvl results. I'm glad that all my students secured distinction in GP, econs and econs s. Maybe I'm not that bad after all.
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Sunday, February 12, 2006
Tony Roma's was good. The ribs were montrous, the burger was what I would really call a burger, the onion loaf was wayyyy better than KFC's onion rings, the potato skins were greattt, the cocktails were umm..okay, I'm not that much of a connoiseur to comment about cocktails. Long Island Iced Tea had too much rum and gin for my taste, the blue hawaiian tasted much better, the Singapore Sling was a tad too slow-acting and the last one (and sadly, I can't remember its name) tasted just like cough syrup. So that's four cocktails and quite some damage to the wallet. The total bill came up to 192 bucks. Yikes! Pictures will be up when I get round to uploading them.And my Mastercard came under attack again yesterday. But details are not for you to know larrrh=) Early Valentine's date. You know...
It seems unnatural but I get a wind of thrill everytime I head for driving lessons. I never knew there was so much to be learnt and to be honest, I've probably been quite a road hazard and it's suprising how I haven't been flagged down by the Traffic Police. Will have to cut down on driving until I get the license proper. So hello, public transport again. Hrmm. Suits me fine anyway. I couldn't ogle at girls while driving. My friend was commenting about how guys were avoiding bbdc because they didn't have "chiobu instructors". *sigh* How true. This valentine's day, I'll be making out with a salacious, leery old man in a car. God. Bless. Me.
Work-wise, it's been hectic. My unit's preparing to go Taiwan barely three months after we are done with Australia. And I heard that after Taiwan, it'll be the US! So everyone is fervently praying that they won't have to Taiwan and that they'll get to go the US. What racists man. All the betel nut girls not nice to look at meh? Angmoh girls are loose. Fine la..*mutters* Actually, I rather go the US too.
And the trademark nax hop and switch topics, here goes,
It's taken me some time to recollect year 2005.
Study-wise. Was pretty satisfied with A lvl results. Got into where I wanted to go and while I had the option of going overseas, it's just not worth it I guess. All that debt for four years abroad and who would chalk up the money?
Work-wise. I've settled down pretty well though there's the occasional spanner that leaves me scrambling around. I'll need to thank the few people I called when I needed to translate this shit of a paragraph into chinese. How the hell am I supposed to know what 'medical surgical platoon' is in chinese?!? Or operation theatre? It never really occured to me. When the time comes, we cut and we operate, we don't stand around explaining stuff to visiting Taiwanese generals.
Will get down to the rest next week. Back to camp (again).
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Saturday, February 04, 2006
rule 1: state five weird or random things about yourself1. I order the short cappucino at Starbucks not because it tastes better and is cheaper(!!!) but because it's not on the menu and it's a secret item where you have to specially ask for it. I just like feeling atas can?!?
2. My valentine's day date this year is some old man. We'll be getting it on in a Honda car..driving lessons. *sigh*
3. Yea..finally taking that first step to driving legally. No more palpitations when I see traffic police!
4. After checking my eight characters, the almanac says I'll always have enough to eat and I'll have a great family life. Ahhh..
5. I used to have a constant series of nightmares every night where I would be killed in various ways like being pierced though a bed of nails, or being decapitated, but always a new way every night.. The almanac says that it's a 'major good sign'. On hindsight, it's quite true actually.
rule two: the five people whom you want to do this
Huh..can't be bothered la
rule three: leave a comment 'you are tagged' on their blogs and ask them to read your blog for rules
I busy la..
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